Mydq xwrRUACH QADIM

RECOVERING THE ARAMAIC ORGINS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT AND THE LOST VISION OF THENAZARENES

[Standard Electronic Edition]

By Andrew Gabriel Rothtwr Ly0yrbg wrdn0 dyb

Copyright 2002, 2003, by Andrew Gabriel Roth

All rights reserved. Excepting scholarly citations for non-commercial use not to exceed 1,200 words (cumulativetotal), no part of this book may be reproduced ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic ormechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by anyinformation storage and retrieval system, withoutpermission in writing from the copyright owner.

And, in addition to man's laws, there is a higher principleto consider. This book is the product of years ofpainstaking research and was produced with the intent ofassisting the author in continuing ministry activities.Therefore, even the most innocent of intentions ofreproducing this work will result in a major hindrance ofthose goals, especially since the funds raised from theelectronic versions' sale will go to publishing the actualbook. Please therefore search your heart diligently andconsider carefully the spiritual aspects before eventhinking about making any illegal copies.

Finally, this work also contains the sacred name hwhy.Therefore, to avoid the chance of physically obliteratingthe Name, please treat this book with respect, even as youwould a Hebrew Bible, since these pages do contain the fourletters of the Holy Name of Elohim.

Todah rabbah (thank you very much) in advance for yoursensitivity and spiritual discernment in this matter, sothat His Great Name may be known and revered in all theearth.

Andrew Gabriel RothAugust 30, 2003

TABLE OF CONTENTSi

PART 0: FOUNDATIONS (twdwoy) 10

Introduction: Title and Purpose 10 A Needed Disclaimer (or How"Kurios-ity" Almost Killed My Faith) 11What is Aramaic? 14On Scripts, Language and Early Church History 16What is Estrangela? 19 What is the Peshitta New Testament Tradition? 19What are the "Assembly of the Nazarenes" and the "Church of the East"? 20A Brief Introduction to Aramaic New Testament Transmission Trends 20Primacy School 22Stopping the Lies: The Truth about Rabulla, the Peshitta and the Diatessaron 23Methods and Madness 25

PART B: GOSPELS and EMISSARIES (axylsw atrbo) 28

The Gospel of Matthew (ytmd Fwzwrk) 28 Singular/Plural confusions 29A Preview: Showing up the Semitic Follies 30Word Pairs Spelled the Same but with Different Meanings 32Cognate Accusatives (the Double Shot) of Matthew 6:19 35The "Mirror Phrase" of Matthew 13:31-32 35"Beyt" and Switch 36Kol v'khomer 37The roots of Jewish prayer, light and Torah 40The "Idiom Trap" of Matthew 23:8 and others 42Generation, Race or Neither? 43My God, My God, why is this always mistranslated? 44Spotlight Feature: The GOWRA Scenario (Exploding the Myth of a Flawed Genealogy) 46

The Gospel of Mark (Swqrmd Fwzwrk) 61I'll take some salted fire to go please 62Why the "ends" justify the means 63The bad idiom transfer of 16:15-18 65Spotlight Feature: The truth about scribal glosses 66Lining up the Witnesses 68A Preview: The Difference between "Lord" and "LORD" 71My God, My God, why is this always mistranslated, revisited 73The Mystery of the Fig Tree Curse 74It's the Definite Article 74Is the Peshitta the Same Dialect of the Messiah? 75

The Gospel of Luke (0qwld Fwzwrk) 78The Gentile who writes like a Jew 79Heart and Mind 79"Facing" the truth 80The Soul Train 81Wisdom is Vindicated by Her What? 81Persecute or Drive Out? 82The Roots of the Problem 83Luke 17:18-20: Separate and Unequal 85

Well and good 86Spotlight Feature: Luke's Original Semitic Poetry 87 The triple word play of Luke 12:11 98Talents or Cities? 98Burning Heart? 99Exploding the Myth of a Flawed Genealogy, Part 2 101

The Gospel of John (Nnxwyd Fwzwrk) 105Spotlight Feature: The Mystery of Miltha 106ENA-NA (I am that I am) 108The Third Nativity 110Various Grammar Problems 113John 3:15-16 114Food and Kingdom 115Rising Prophets and Losses 117We Were Never Slaves? 119The Triple Judge 120Their Error is Without Excuse! 120Revelation in Galilee 120The Bosom of his Father 121Death to Come 121Death and Produce 121I, Shepherd 122Love, lambs, sheep, and sheep 122

Acts of the Apostles (0xyl4d 0nr9ws) 125The Cords that Bind 126Peter's View of God 127Mighty Wind 127Loin something! The Lesson of Acts 2:30 128Aha! Proclitic Trouble! 128And no one daredwhat? 129Dual Root Wordplays in Acts 9:24-26, and 30 130Stinging with words (Peter's Rebuke) 132A cut above the rest 133Pray or Heed? 133The Unmitigated Gall 134The Name of Mercy 135

PART G: THE GENERAL EPISTLES (Letters to All Peoples--amme lk twld atrga) 136The Epistle of James (0xyl4 Bwq9yd Frg0) 136Perfect Peace, Part One 137The Boasting Fire, Part One 137 Faultline 138Unique Divine Titles and other Terminology 139

The First Epistle of Peter (0xyl4 0p0kd Fymdq Frg0) 147Accept No Substitutes 148Semitic Poetry Revisited 148Baptism or Mikveh? 150

The First Letter of John (0xyl4 Nnxwyd Fymdq Frg0) 152The Mystery of Miltha Revisited 153

God is Light, Word and Torah 154The Eternal World 155The Joy of Complete Peace (Perfect Peace Part Two) 156

PART d: PAULINE EPISTLES (axyls owlwpd atrga) 157

Romans (0ymwhr twld Frg0) 157The "Setting Apart" of Romans 1:1 158The Aramaic Diction Pattern in Romans 2:2 159A Grammar Lesson 159A Hidden "A-gender" 159God forbid! The truth behind Romans 3:6 160A Semitic Turn of Phrase in Romans 4:9 161Semitic Poetry in Romans 4:25 161Righteous versus Wicked: The Contradiction of Romans 5:7 161Waiting and Hoping for Clarity in Romans 8:24 163Singular/Plural Confusion in Romans 9:4 163Torah Illuminations in a "Roman" book (9:29 & 10:7) 164Antithetic Parallelism in Romans 13:8 165The Burden of Proof in Romans 15:7 166

First Corinthians (Fymdq 0ytnrwq twld Frg0 ) 167The Lord of Readings 168What was "The Day of Our Lord"? 168How to "Get a head" in the world 170The Boasting Fire, Part Two 172Paul the Mystic 172

Second Corinthians (Fynyrt 0ytnrwq) 181Rising above the "din" 182Triple Wordplay and Alliteration in 2 Corinthians 4:9 182Another Singular/Plural Confusion 182The Double Root in Messiah 183The Truth About the Unbelievers 184The Mystery of the Veil 184Blinded by the Light 185Cleanliness is Next to Holiness 186

Galatians (0y=lg twld Frg0) 188What is "the other Gospel"? 189Galatians 3:23-25 and 4:1-2, or Paul versus the Pharisees, part 1 193

Ephesians (0ysp0 twld Frg0) 197The eye of your hearts 198Consider this Hope for the Gospel 198Clear this ONE up! 199Ephesians 2:15, or Paul vs. the Pharisees Part 2 201The Armor of God 202

Philippians (0yspylyp twld Frg0) 206The First Messianic Hymn 207And now a first Messianic Poem 212

Bowels of Mercies? 213

Colossians (0yslwq twld Frg0) 217Paul the Mystic Revisited 218Wisdom is Vindicated by Her What? Part 2 223The "Double Reflection" of Colossians 3:14 224

First Thessalonians (Fymdq 0yqynwlst twld Frg0) 225An Amazing Opening 226Authentic Aramaic Teaching 226More Singular/Plural Confusion 227Armor of God, Revisited 227Jews or Judeans? 228

Second Thessalonians (Nytrtd 0yqynwlst twld Frg0) 230Why you cannot escape the truth: A "rebellious" reading 231Beginning with the First-Fruits of Truth 231Which commandments? 233The Other Gospel, Revisited 233

First Timothy (Fymdq Sw0tmyt twld Frg0) 236A Great Poem to Timothy 237The Alternating Rhyme 238

Second Timothy (Nytrtd Sw0tmyt twld Frg0) 240A Cloak of Books? 241A Doubling of Faith 241It is Written 242

Titus (Sw== twld Frg0) 243Another Gorgeous Poem 244On the Trail of Alleged Anti-Semitism 244

Philemon (Jwmlyp twld 0trg0) 247A Lone Exception 248"Put it on my account" 248

Hebrews (0yrb9d twld Frg0) 250The "peshitta" in Peshitta Hebrews 251Son of the City 252Thief or Thieves? 252Translation into Nothing and Nothing into Translation 253What's Missing is a Little Humility! 255When is a Priest not a Priest? 255In Fact, There's Hope! 256Immersion in Enlightenment 256Missing Poetry 257

PART h: EXPLORING NEW TESTAMENT TRANSMISSION TRENDS 259

The Papias Scenario (oayppd hyrwayt) 260

The Maran Atha Scenario (ata Nrmd hyrwayt) 266The Ichabod Scenario (dwbkyad hyrwayt) 268

PART w:: THE WESTERN FIVE 289The Second Letter of the Apostle Peter (0xyl4 0p0kd Fynyrt Frg0) 290Early Evidence 291Peter's Speeches 293

The Second Letter and Third Letter of the Apostle John (0xyl4 Nnxwyd tltd Frg0w FynyrtdFrg0) 298Early Evidence 299Linguistic Clues 299

The Letter of the Apostle Jude (0xyl4 0dwhyd Frg0) 301Early Evidence 302The Truth about Apocryphal Attribution 302Which Came First? 303

Revelation (0nylg) 305Early Evidence 306The "ET" Factor 307 Coffin or Bed? 309Sharp Spirit? 310Compositional Wordplays? 312The Worthy Root 313Feet or Legs? 314Permit or Leave Alone? 314Here Comes the Sun 315Character References 315

PART z: THE LOST FAITH OF THE NAZARENES (Myrund hadwba hnwma ah) 320Are the Nazarenes "legalists and Judaisers"? 321Has the Torah Passed Away? 323Aramaic Theology 101 326The Nazarene View of the Circumcision Controversy in Acts 15 338The Truth about Godhead, Sacred Name Usage and Prayer 344Was there a virgin birth? How can we know for sure? 350Is the New Testament Anti-Semitic? 354One House or Two, and does it Matter? 356What is Tikkun Ha Olam? 357The Dream of Beyt Miltha 358The Way of the Malpana 359Conclusion: What the Future Holds 361

APPENDIX: 362The Ex-Nihilo Scenario (Mwlk ald hyrwayt) 363The Core of Moedim: Revisiting the Exact Time of the Nativity 380The Strange Case of Matthew 23:35 403An Expanded Look at Ephesians 2:15 406Y'shua and the Talmud 411Endnotes 416

ABOUT THE COVER:

This image is a composite of three separate pieces of calligraphy enhanced with computer graphics. Whilethe texts appear to be a stone inscription, the fact is all three scripts are painted on heavy paper and overlaidwith an "emboss" feature courtesy of PhotoShop. The top script represents a paleo-Hebrew version ofExodus 15 followed in descending order by Genesis 6 in Torah style Hebrew (asshuri) letters, andterminated with the bottom Aramaic estrangela style inscription from the Gospel of John.

0y+lg twld Frg0|The Letter to the Galatians

What is "the other Gospel"?

I am surprised at how soon you have turned to another gospel, away from Messiah who has calledyou to grace. A gospel which does not even exist; howbeit, there are men who have stirred you upand want to pervert the gospel of Messiah. But though we or an angel from heaven preach anothergospel to you, let him be accursed.

Galatians 1:6-8 (Lamsa)

This watershed piece of Jewish literature begins with quite a wallop. In just two decades from the timeMessiah preached, the apostle Paul has alleged that "another gospel" has gone out into the world. Whatthat counterfeit is however has been shrouded in mystery for millennia, until now.

The true Gospel, as Paul relates here and elsewhere, is the message that Y'shua came to bring the properinterpretation of Torah to his fellow Jews, as well as graft the Gentiles into a Torah observant lifestylethrough a graduated system of change. It is, in essence, a two-pronged message. If Jews do not understandthat Y'shua was the goal of Torah, then they are misinterpreting 300+ prophecies about him in Tanakh.Similarly, if Gentiles do not put aside their pagan ways, then what was unacceptable to YHWH beforeregarding them will continue to be unacceptable to YHWH now.

In other words, the "good news" cannot save them if the Gentiles don't put their sinful practices away in thefirst place! The proof of this assertion also emerges from the phrase "a gospel which does not even exist",meaning that it is the perversion of truth that is new, but that the heart of real Gospel stems from properunderstanding of Tanakh through the light of Messiah's teachings.

Another aspect to this perspective of Paul's has to do with a massive implied wordplay that permeates theentire letter. The reader will recall how, in the Gospel of John, a distinction was made between two wordsthat are translated into English as "bondage" or "slavery". Furthermore, the worst kind of slavery, the onewithout any form of compensation or an allowance to work off a debt, was called galuta, and those peopleso enslaved would rightly be called "Galatians". So, in this sense, Paul is not just writing to the residents ofthat geographical area but to their spiritual state of bondage. The question is though, how did this bondagehappen?

In 722 BCE, the Assyrians destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel and took many Jews into captivity(galuta). Eventually, these dispersed (or lost) tribes made their way into many nations and had mixedthemselves so thoroughly with the Gentiles around them as to make them indistinguishable from those whohad no Jewish heritage whatsoever. When this happened, those tribes immediately lost their inheritance,and were put into the bondage of ignorance, sin, idolatry, and separation from YHWH. The end result ofcourse is that this kind of spiritual captivity is far worse than anything done in Egypt or Babylon, becauseas horrible as those other places were, those Jews at least were set free! The captivity of the NorthernTribes however, continues to this very day. At least for their sake however, the method of their repatriationbegan to appear 2000 years ago, if only they would have heeded it!

This understanding is also well reflected in the writings of another apostle who knew these exact peoplevery well:

Peter, an apostle of Y'shua the Messiah, to the chosen ones and pilgrims scattered throughoutPontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia Minor and Bithynia. Who have been chosen by theforeknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit, to be obedient and tosprinkle the blood of our Lord Y'shua the Messiah. Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

1 Peter 1:1 (Lamsa)

Who are the "chosen people" if not the Jews who went away to Galatia (captivity)? Who else was chosenwith the "foreknowledge of God" and called to obedience that involves the sprinkling of Messiah's blood,even as their ancestors would have done the same thing with rams and goats in times of old? Peter is in

fact saying that the time for their return to grace is at hand if they understand Torah and believe in Messiah,and all of Paul's pronouncements to the same populace here must be viewed in this same light.

However, this is not to say that both Peter and Paul also did not have in mind pure Gentiles either, for theysurely did. The problem was, there was no way to tell one group from the other, and so both men decidedthat they would try to bring all of the nations back in by the same method. From that view then, theGentiles are chosen also, since Paul makes the point they too have a role in prophecy:

Because God knew in advance that the Gentiles would be declared righteous through faith he firstpreached to Abraham, as it is said in the Holy Scripture, 'in you shall all the Gentiles be blessed'.

Galatians 3:8 (Lamsa)

The kicker though is that both descendants of the lost tribes of Israel and pure Gentiles have to comethrough the "Judah gate", that is Messiah:

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Y'shua the Messiah (fromJudah), that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Galatians 3:14 (Lamsa, with my emphasis)

Now it is at this point that Replacement Theology and Dispensationalist heresies kick in, erroneously usingthis verse as a way to pit the Messiah against Torah, and his promise against what went before. However,my point is that such is the opposite of what Paul is saying. First though let us see where this falseimpression comes from, and then we will refute it. Also please note that since the Aramaic word namusacan mean "Torah" as well as "Pharisaic rules and regulations", that I have taken the time to put "Torah" inparentheses where it applies in Lamsa's readings. At any rate, this is what I mean:

For those who rely on the works of the law (Torah) are still under the curse, for as it is written,cursed is everyone who does not practice everything which is written in the book of the law(Torah). But that no man is justified by the law (Torah) is evident; for as it is written, the righteouswill live by faith.

Galatians 3:10-11 (Lamsa)

This is the crux of the entire matter right here. The Gentile Christians insist that this passage means Torahhas passed away, and that followers of "Jesus" are redeemed from the "curse of the law" as well as fromrelying on the "works of the law" by replacing it with "faith". However, these terms have been totallyperverted and contradict Paul's own writings in this Epistle, as we will shortly see.

First of all, let us deal with the "curse of the law". This is because we are flawed and cannot keep thewhole Torah, as Paul clearly states. However, that wording surely does not mean Torah itself is bad orwrong. Rather, the "curse of the law" is a doctrine that has always been wrong for everyone! This heresy,as it turns out, is to believe that following Torah rules for the sake of blind ritual and tradition means aperson does not have to worry about sin. Isaiah though clearly repudiated this belief born in arrogance andpride by referring to our "righteous deeds" as menstrual rags! Witness also the opening of that prophet'sfirst two chapters and see that the Jews there were going to Temple, performing the sacrifices and, inessence, doing all the right things. But, the problem was, then and now, that Israel thought they could dothese things by rote and without the proper attitude, and that therefore following the instructions alone wasenough.

Paul makes this exact same point here:

Now the promises which were made to Abraham and to his descendants as a covenant. He did notsay 'To your descendants' as many but 'To your descendants', as one, that is Messiah. And this Isay, that the covenant which was previously confirmed of God in Messiah cannot be repudiated

and the promise nullified by the law (Torah) that came four hundred and thirty years later. For ifthe inheritance is by the law (Torah) then it would not be as the fulfillment of promise; but Godgave it to Abraham by promise.

Galatians 3:16-18 (Lamsa)

There are quite a few things going on in these sparse lines! Paul is explaining that Torah given at Sinai wasthe fulfillment of the promise God made to Abraham. It was in that same promise that God also planned tobless the Gentiles. Therefore, that promise to bless everyone through Abraham (and later Messiah) cannotbe nullified, and indeed it was not, since Scripture also says that there is one Torah for Jew and foreigner,(Exodus 12:49, Leviticus 24:22, Numbers 15:16,29). Furthermore, Paul cements this key belief here:

For there is neither Jew nor Aramean, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male norfemale; for you are all one in Y'shua the Messiah.

Galatians 3:28 (Lamsa)

Note here the text says "neither Jew nor Aramean", as opposed to "neither Jew nor Greek"? This is becausethe original audience was firstly to the lost tribes in galuta (bondage) and then to the Gentiles in Galatia.Jacob himself was called a "wandering Aramean", and his father in law Labaan was a Syrian/Aramean aswell. That means that we are talking about two closely related Semitic tribes. Reason being, the word"Hebrew" is derived from eber, meaning "those from the other side". When Abraham asked his nephewLot to separate from him (Genesis 13), Lot chose the land "on the other side of the River Jordan". In duetime, Jacob was also living with others (Arameans) in this region. Therefore, when the Arameans lookedacross the River, they pointed to their brethren and said "Eber, eber". Now fast forward two millennia andthe real message of the true Gospel is revealed: All of Abraham's children that went off to build their ownnations--save Ishmael (Galatians 5:28-30) -- are to come back in to Israel!1

The "curse of the law" and also "works of the law" then is the mistaken belief that Torah applied only toJews, as well as that following its precepts alone granted salvation. It never did, and it does not now.Rather, it was faith in the promises of God that redeemed us from the curse, and the ultimate expression ofthat freedom came in the fulfillment of the prophecies that spoke of Messiah Y'shua.

So, while Christian theologians continue to assert that Paul is talking of the covenant of Torah passing andgiving way to "Jesus", the reality is quite different. Paul is instead saying that the wrong interpretation ofthe Torah that went against the original promise is what is flawed. Furthermore, the proof of this assertionis found in two places:

Is the law (Torah) against the promises of God? Far be it; for if a law had been given which couldhave wrought salvation, righteousness would truly have come as a result of the law (Torah). Butthe Scripture has included everything under sin, that the promise by the faith in Y'shua theMessiah might be given to those who believe.

1 This does not mean that the descendants of Ishmael, or today's Arabs, are not also given an inheritance.Rather, since Ishmael was also made a father of a great nation, his inheritance is different from that of hisyounger brother Isaac. The fact is, Scripture is replete with examples of righteous people who would todaybe considered Arabs. Since Midian was clearly in modern Saudi Arabia, Moses' father-in-law Jethro aswell as his wife Tzippora, shared this same lineage. That means Gershom and Eliezar, Moses' two sons,had half-Arab blood. Furthermore, Abraham himself would also be called Arab, since he was born Ur ofthe Chaldees, otherwise known as Iraq today. It is also a fact that many "Arabs" are really more accuratelycalled "Arameans", and these people at one time also spoke Aramaic throughout the Middle East. In anycase, the role of Arabs in prophecy is beyond the scope of this book, but I did not want to leave the readerwith the impression that I was excluding them for the final redemptive drama that is the re-gathering of thelost tribes of Israel. I will simply say though that they come in through a different process, and that is all Iwill relate on the matter.

Galatians 3:21-22 (Lamsa)

Thus the law (Torah) is not made by faith, but, whosoever shall do the things which are written init shall live in it.

Galatians 3:12 (Lamsa)

So, if the Torah is passing away, how is it that we will all, according to Paul "live in it"?

Finally let us deal with another phrase Paul uses in Galatians, "under the law".

Tell me, those who desire to be under the law (Torah), do you not hear the law (Torah)? For it iswritten that Abraham had two sons, one by a bondmaid and one by a freewoman. But he who wasborn of the bondmaid was born after the flesh; but he who was born of the freewoman was born bypromise...Now we, my brethren, are the children of the promise, as was Isaac. But as then, he whowas born after the flesh persecuted he who was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.Nevertheless, what does the scripture say? Cast out the bondmaid and her son; for the son of themaidservant shall not inherit with the son of the freewoman. So then my brethren, we are notchildren of the maidservant but children of the freewoman.

Galatians 3:21-23,28-31 (Lamsa)

Starting from the first line, Paul reminds his own Jewish people to "hear" the Torah--a very odd statementif that Torah is in itself invalid. Then Paul again tells his audience that the promise came before Sinai, butthat those who persecuted Israel, as many of these people's neighbors did, were accursed. Paul thencontinues his definition here:

For the whole law (Torah) is fulfilled in one saying, that is, you shall love your neighbor asyourself. But if you harm and plunder one another, take heed lest you be consumed by oneanother. This I say then: Lead a spiritual life, and you shall never commit the lust of the flesh. Forthe flesh craves that which is harmful to the Spirit, and the Spirit opposes the things of the flesh;and the two are contrary to one another, so that you are unable to do whatever you please. But ifyou are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law (Torah).

Galatians 5:14-18 (Lamsa)

Once more, if Torah is passing away it is odd that Paul would begin again by quoting from Leviticus, andthen commenting on that quote! In fact, every word he says in this passage agrees with one Torah preceptor another.

What then does "under the law" mean? Simple, "under the law" refers to a variation on the same falseteaching of "curse of the law", i.e. that doing ritual for ritual's sake is believed to bring salvation. Paul hasalready commented in this Epistle that the Torah is not against the promise of God. Therefore, the onlyremaining logical alternative brings us back to the idea that it is the interpretation about Torah which is theproblem, as opposed to Torah itself.

As a result, to be "under the law" means that a Jewish person has not understood the reason behind theLaw, and masks his evil intentions with outward obedience. If however we are in the right "Spirit", whichis to stay righteous because we love YHWH and want to please Him, then we are doing well:

For the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,self-control; there is no law (Torah) against these. And those who belong to Messiah havecontrolled their weaknesses and passions.

Galatians 5:22-24 (Lamsa)

The final proof of this idea also relates to circumcision, a topic we will be exploring in great detail later on:

Those who desire to boast in the things of the flesh (defined by "works of the flesh" in 5:19) arethe ones who compel you to be circumcised only lest they should suffer persecution for the crossof Messiah. For not even they who are circumcised obey the law (Torah); but they want youto be circumcised so that they might boast over your flesh.

Galatians 6:12-13 (Lamsa, cross-referenced and highlighted by Andrew Gabriel Roth)

So, here is one clear case of many where Paul only appears to go against circumcision. The reality isthough, that Paul is saying that the people who are calling for circumcision themselves do not have a properunderstanding of why it should be done. Therefore, to have these ignorant people spread false teachings tothe less experienced makes the Gentiles worse off than before they began to believe! In both cases, the keyto following the Torah, with regard to circumcision or any other act, is that you do not do it to be boastfulbut because you believe it to be holy instruction! Fashion and social status should have no bearing on thedecision.

For more information on this topic however, the reader is encouraged to consult "The Nazarene View of theCircumcision Controversy in Acts 15".

Galatians 3:23-25 and 4:1-2, or Paul versus the Pharisees, part 1

In the opening sentences of Acts 15, a few remarkable facts emerge. First, we are told that among theMessianic believers of the time there existed a contingent of Pharisees that believed Gentiles must becircumcised before being admitted into the community of faith. Second, we are told that Paul, Barnabasand other prominent Nazarenes were brought into sharp disagreement with this group's contention. Turninga bit later to Acts 23:5-6, we also learn that Paul considered himself a Pharisee as well, calling himself bythis title in the present tense.

That being said, perhaps no book has caused more misunderstanding about the role of Torah observanceamongst Messianic believers than does this brief letter to the Galatians. Furthermore, the crystallization ofthis misunderstanding culminates in these few lines at the end of the third and beginning of the fourthchapter, and much of the prelude to these lines has already been discussed. However, the concepts in 3:23-25 and 4:1-2 are so important, that I am going to go to some extraordinary lengths to showcase their truemeaning.

Galatians 3:23

Nny4ybx dk Nl 0wh r=n 0swmn Fwnmyh F0t Nyd fd9AD LA DIN TATHEH HAYMANUTHA NAMUSA NATER HAVA LEYN KAD CHEVISHIN

Before but came faith Torah guarding was us while we were confined

wylgtml twh 0dyt9d FwnmyhlL'HAYMANUTHA DAITIDA HAVAT LEMEYTGLAYO.

From faith about to be revealed.

Galatians 3:24

0xy4m twl Nl 0wh 00rt Lykh 0swmnNAMUSA HAKIYL TARAA HAVA L' AN LVAT MESHIKHA

The Torah therefore tutor was for us going towards the Messiah

Qddzn Fwnmyh NmdDAMIN HAYMANUTHA NETZDEDEKH

That us by faith be justified

Galatians 3:25

00rt tyxt Nywh f Fwnmyh Nyd tt0 dkKAD ATHA DIN HAYMANUTHA LEH HAVIN TEHIT TARAA

Since come but faith not we under TUTORS.

Galatians 4:1

0db9 Nm $yrp f f= Fryd 0nbz 0mkd Nyd 0n0 rm0AMAR ANA DIN DIKHMA ZAVNA DIYARTA TELEH LA PERYSH MIN AVDA

Say I but that for time heir (is a) child (he is) not different from the servants.

Jwhlkd wh 0rm dkKAD MARA HAV D'KULKHON

Though Lord is (he) of all (of them)

Galatians 4:2

Yhwb0 Msd 0nbzl 0md9 Fb Ybrw Yhwty0 0pwr=p0 tyxt f0ELA TACHIT APITROPEA AYTAVHI VE'RIBI BATEH EDEMA L'ZAWNA DESAMAVOHI

But under guardians he is and stewards of home until of time which has sethis Father

Now let us look at how these verses flow in more syntactical English and thereby get closer to their truemeaning:

Galatians 3:23

But before faith came while we were confined from the faith about to be revealed.

This is a common theme in Paul's letters. The main point is that the true understanding of the Torah wasnot possible until certain promises in Torah were revealed in faith. The cause of that faith however is not athrowing away of Torah but a recognizing of Torah's promises coming in the form prophecy demanded,that of Y'shua Ha Moshiack. That is why Y'shua said to reject him was to reject the one who sent him,

because his Father had promised the ARM OF YHWH would come, but that the majority of Israel wouldbe blind when it did (Isaiah 53:1). In that sense, the confusion over whether the Prophet, or Elijah orJeremiah would reveal himself as Messiah (Matthew 16) was "confining" to faith because the trueinterpretation of the promise could not be understood beforehand.

Galatians 3:24

The Torah was therefore a tutor for us going towards Messiah, that by faith we might be justified.

Notice the Torah itself is the tutor, meaning that by giving details of who Messiah would be, where andwhen he would be born and so on, that it educated the faithful on how to know the true one when he came.This is also a clear allusion to a similar teaching in Romans 10:4 where Messiah is the goal of Torah. InAramaic, the word for goal--sakah (0ks)-- is badly mangled into the Greek telos, which can also mean thesame thing but is more often rendered as end of Torah. Therefore, the Greek as translated typically intoEnglish appears to state that Torah has an END in Messiah, but Paul is saying almost the exact opposite inAramaic in that the Torah points towards Messiah, and this idea is further substantiated with the use of theword lvat (twl) which carries that precise meaning.

This idea is also a logical development from 3:23, as if to say "The Torah teacher says, HERE HE IS!"Furthermore, it is also akin to the way the Baptist identified Y'shua. First he prophesied that one greaterthan himself was coming, and then when Y'shua came it was "Behold the Lamb of God" Both parts ofthe equation, acknowledgement of the prophecy and proper identification of that prophecy's fulfillment inMessiah, are required as a true test of faith. The end effect then is one of Torah observance AND properacknowledgment of how the promise was kept, and it is from this process that we are justified because wevindicated what the Almighty said in the first place.

Galatians 3:25

But since faith has come we are not under tutors.

This is a big one. First, all Greek mss read tutor (singular) whereas the Aramaic reads tutors. The reasonfor the error in Greek is that the Aramaic word is one where the singular and plural forms are spelled thesame. In the first century, context was the sole guide as to which was intended, and it was only around the6th century that a plural marker called a syame was developed to clearly distinguish one from the other.The ancient traditions in the Church of the East, the assembly that preserved the Aramaic text, have alsoproved highly reliable though in ferreting out which meaning was intended, showing a level of accuracyequal to the way the Jews preserved their oral traditions about the Torah itself. As for the reading, bysaying tutors then Paul is making a direct shot to the Pharisees, who as "teachers of the law" added theirown rules that in effect put a fence around the Torah (Pirkei Avot ).

There is also a clear word play that is implied between the TARAA (tutors) that locked the Torah awaybehind their rules and Messiah who said, "I am the TAREA" (door) that leads to the Father, salvation andso on. Paul is reminding us (or perhaps is reminiscing over what Peter told him) about how Y'shua flungthe gate wide open, not just to bring Gentiles in at a later time, but first and foremost to free the Jews fromthe bondage of the Pharisees who sit in Moshe's seat (Matthew 23:1). This idea also compares very wellalso to John 4 when Y'shua tells a Samaritan woman that "we Jews worship what we know" as opposed tothe pagans in Athens that Paul addresses that deal with an unknown god or the Samaritans who mixed theirJudaic faith with pagan belief.

Either way, these TUTORS are very different from the TUTOR of 3:23 and 3:24. In fact, they are theopposite, and it is only by careful comparison that the true extent of Paul's biting rhetoric is revealed. Paulhas contrasted the true tutor of Torah pointing to Messiah, against the Pharisees who remained as tutors totheir traditions and rejected Y'shua as a result. It's therefore an extremely elegant way of saying "no mancan serve two masters". The teachings of Y'shua and the leaven of the Pharisees do not go together.

Galatians 4:1

But I say that for as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from the servants, even though heis Lord over all of them.

An even more obvious slight from Paul to his non-Messianic Pharisees, since perysh (different, separate) iswhere the actual term Pharisee comes from! The idea of the heir being a child is probably a reference to thetime when only the hope of Messiah existed, but before he had actually been born. Another possibility isthat it refers to when Y'shua was in the Temple at 12 years of age amazing the rabbis with his teachings andanswering questions. He appears as just another boy --and therefore a servant-- before these teachers (thereal servants), but when Y'shua clarifies Scripture and the truth comes out, so does his authority as Lord(Matthew 7:29).

Galatians 4:2

But he is under the guardians and the stewards of the house until the time that has been set by hisFather.

Notice now though how Paul brings together two important ideas. First, we have the heir who will take onthe mantle of Torah. Then we have idea that, in the interim before the heir comes of age, that the Torahwas under the control of guardians. This is key, because it is a clear statement by Paul that Messiah is theMILTHA made flesh (John 1:1-5, 14). MILTHA, which can be rendered WORD, has many other deepermeanings as well, including PARABLES (MITHLEH), which Y'shua says he will utter for the first timesince the creation of the world, thus quoting Psalm 78:2. What this brings to fore then is not the Greekimpression of Torah passing away once Messiah struts on to the stage of history, but simply that thedeepest understanding of what Torah means comes from the MILTHA made flesh, who is also the ARMOF YHWH and the embodiment of Messianic promise. In short and in true Semitic fashion, Paul ends upprecisely where he began on this line of reasoning.

i This may seem an unusual place to out a footnote, but I feel it is needed address a concern that has poppedup in preliminary reviews of this work. Some have suggested that the titles I give here should be more"purely Hebrew", and this suggestion has manifested itself in two ways. First, there is a bit of hybridizationgoing on. The name of part one--yesodot (twdwoy)--is in proper Hebrew plural form. However, elsewhere,I have deliberately followed Aramaic patterns of plurality but retained the Hebrew script.

I have done this on purpose to make a very precise point. First and foremost, the study of the AramaicPeshitta has made it possible for Messianics to see and even greater kinship between both parts of theBible. The Word of hwhy can now be shown to be a totally Semitic phenomenon even at the base textlevel, representing a quantum leap forward in understanding the root origins of what later becameChristianity in the West. However, the development of the Hebrew and Aramaic of the Tanakh to what itbecame in terms of the dialect of the Peshitta NT, points very clearly to the time and culture in which thelatter was created.

At the same time though, the closer kinship from new to old that the Aramaic allows also makes a clearstatement that the foundation of the new is the Hebrew covenant that came before it, and therefore I haveused the Hebrew word for "foundations" in its proper form. When we get past that origin however, then itbecomes appropriate to adopt the Aramaic patterns that we know existed at that time. Reason being,throughout this book I make the clear case that while Hebrew remained a liturgical language, Aramaic washow the common man conversed throughout the Middle East. In Israel however, archaeological inscriptionscontinued to use Aramaic words in the same Hebrew calligraphy, otherwise known as ktav asshuri. That iswhy we have bar mitzvahs and not "ben mitzvahs" when we turn thirteen. The toggling between the twolanguages then, like that term that is half Aramaic and half Hebrew, is both effortless and unconscious for aJewish person. The same can be said when a Jew reads a page of Talmud, Zohar or parts of Esther and

Daniel. There is no "red light" that goes off that says "Warning! You are approaching the differentlanguage of Aramaic in this passage!"

Second, another change that will be noticeable to those who are used Hebraicized New Testament titles isthe lack of the phrase et ha (ah ta) for meaning "towards" (as in "the Letter toward the Ephesians", etc.).While I acknowledge that such usage has been normative for Messianics in their attempt to keep consistentSemitic terminology throughout both Testaments, the fact is, the text they are "converting" from is stillGreek, or at least it is done from Greek and translated into Hebrew. This was done in large measure due tothe fact that Peshitta and related Aramaic studies are relatively new to the Messianic movement, and as aresult even many long-time leaders and rabbis in that arena have not made a detailed study of the Peshittatext. If they had, they would have realized that there have been traditional Aramaic titles for these booksall along, rendering the Hebraic conversion process of the Greek names totally unnecessary! For thesereasons then, I have opted for the Aramaic usage of d'lvat (twld) instead, which also means "of towards".

Finally, the reader should be aware that the subject headings in this book (Letters to all Peoples, etc.) arecompletely of the author's own creation. The Church of the East has never separated these books intoscrolls in the manner I have suggested.